Planning To Build A Deck: DIY or Hire a Pro?

A deck can be a great way to bring the indoors out. The right choice of wood for decks can be effective in visually anchoring the outdoor seating area. A good deck is one of the modern home designs that will not just rejuvenate your outdoor living space, but give your home a much needed facelift. That’s why when it comes to constructing a deck, you really don’t want to settle for less. So, the difficult question to many people is whether to go the DIY (do-it- yourself) route or hire a professional to put up the deck.

Weigh Your Options

Either route can work for you depending on what trade-offs you are weighing. If you decide to do your own deck, there are plenty of resources out there to demonstrate how to do the job. You’ll also be able to save money in the process because, let’s face it; labor costs normally constitute the largest chunk of decking installation expenses.The weightier truth is however that that cost you save by doing your pool decking or outdoor decking work yourself is only a short term one. The quality of work you’ll do simply cannot stand up to that done by a seasoned professional. Still, there are instances when a DIY approach would suffice.

It’s important to ask yourself, what is your priority, to save money or to create a deck that looks and feels top notch? Whatever your answer, building your deck on your own would require that you have the required skills and can access or have the needed tools. Ideally you won’t be able to build the deck if you don’t have the skills to handle the tools. You also need to know the fundamentals of home designs and construction. You must know the basics such as how to trim deck boards to make this happen.

Why hire a pro?

Hiring a professional means that you are going to pay the labor fee, which is a significant percentage on top of what you’d incur on a DIY option. But it certainly comes with the benefit great quality. There is no debate, unless you are a carpenter yourself, you won’t have the finer carpentry skills that one develops over time within the profession. A professional deck builder will do a finer, faster job than you can. Here are some reasons why you should hire a professional to handle your decking job.

1. Professional counsel

An expert has been building decks for a long time, so he is likely to have insights that may be useful to your decking project. Decking is his day job and he is likely to be vastly informed about the nitty-gritties of a good decking work. And by hiring one, you give yourself a chance to tap into this knowledge base. More specifically, the professional deck constructor knows all those little things that can go wrong. From his experience in the industry he also knows what should be done to avoid such pitfalls in the deck work. Such knowledge can be invaluable; it can help you prevent recurrence of small but costly problems, helping you save money eventually.

2. Quicker task completion

A professional craftsman has perfected the art over time. Doing the work is a breeze to them. In addition, they are not only well equipped for the job, but also are used to handling the tools. The may also have the latest industry technology that would be handy in facilitating quicker task completion. This is in addition to the fact that a combination of better craftsmanship, up-to- the minute technology and tools are the recipe for flawless results.

3. You can get high quality wood for decks more affordably

The professional has most probably established ties with industry suppliers and may help you find top quality wood for your deck work more affordably. That way the option of hiring the expert can help you save money on the decking materials. Buying the deck materials by yourself has two possible drawbacks:

You may buy a poorer quality because of lack of information regarding the better ones.

You may buy the materials more expensively because of lack of information regarding better prices elsewhere.

None of these is a given, they are mere possibilities. But their likelihoods are always high in most cases. Whatever the case, you can always talk with the craftsman to learn if there can be some arrangements that eventually put you to the advantage. The choice between a DIY approach and hiring a pro for a decking project is a battle of cost and quality. Hiring a pro comes with the cost label. But doing it yourself involves a compromise on quality. At the end of the day, you have to weigh the trade-offs and make your final decision based on what you consider to be the top priority.

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